THE GREAT GOD COMPETITION 167 



to increase that cost, the stigma of unpopularity is 

 attached in advance. Thirty-three states, which 

 include the great majority of the most populous 

 and most powerful, are now dependent upon other 

 states of the Union for their timber suppHes. They 

 cannot do business unless they get wood from the 

 timber exporting states, but are they yet ready to 

 pay higher prices merely to insure the continuance 

 of that supply? 



In order to do away with what are believed to be 

 the false economies of competition, Germany stimu- 

 lates the creation of trusts. There, the government 

 in a measure authorizes a price high enough so that 

 everyone finds it to his advantage to practice the 

 most scientific forest methods. State forests, town 

 forests and private owners all sell on approximately 

 the same basis, and if it appears that a temporary 

 over-production will necessitate cut-throat competi- 

 tion, the government and private owners together 

 work out a scheme of exportation that practically 

 means the dumping of the surplus upon foreign 

 markets. Germany feels that the gains from inter- 

 national commerce and the continued policy of 

 forest growing justifies the means employed. But 

 how about ourselves? We abandoned this system 

 some years ago when public opinion demanded the 

 breaking up of the oil trust and other monopolies. 



